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Play mkv on a computer. How to open a mkv file? Media Player Classic for playing MKV files

> How to play MKV file?

Introduction.

MKV is a file extension for the free and open source multimedia container Matroska, which is often used to store high-definition videos (movies, 3D films, etc.). An MKV file can contain a copy of an entire DVD or Blu-ray disc, including the video track itself (multiple video tracks are also supported), any number audio tracks and subtitles, menus, etc.

We can play MKV using Free Video Player. Among other functions, the program allows you to conveniently switch between different audio and subtitle tracks.

Step 1: Download and install the program.

Download Free Video Player on your computer. Run the downloaded file and follow the wizard instructions to install the media player.

Step 2: Launch the program. Playing MKV.

Run installed player. The main window will appear:

Click on the "Open" button in the lower left corner of the window. The media player will call the system file open dialog:

Find the folder where your MKV file is stored, select the file and click the Open button.

Free Video Player will start MKV playback file. The main window will automatically adjust to the video resolution.

You can double click on the image or press Enter to switch between windowed and full screen modes. A simple click or press of the space bar will pause the video.

To switch between audio tracks and subtitles from an MKV file, use the buttons at the bottom of the window:

Cry right click on the corresponding button will call quick menu, while left-clicking will open a window with additional options. Here you can also load external audio tracks and subtitles.

Step 3 (Optional): Association of the player with MKV files.

You can easily associate Free Video Player with MKV and other formats. This will allow you in the future to open video files directly from Windows Explorer with a double click.

During installation of the program, you are asked to associate the player with MKV and AVI files:

If you use the proposed option, you will be able to play MKV files with a double click right after Free installations Video Player. Otherwise, launch the player and press F10. This will open the settings menu. From the list on the left, select "File Types":

Here you can choose required formats, which should be associated with Free Video Player. Clicking on the "All" button will select all supported formats (video, audio, playlists).

Confirm the changes by clicking on the "OK" button and enjoy the convenience of playing videos using Free Video Player.

As its name suggests, Free Video Player is a completely free player. It does not require any registration and is ready to use immediately after installation.

MKV is a format, which contains information about the multimedia data. That is, audio files, video files, as well as subtitles.

The format is also called Matroska - Matryoshka.

Now this format firmly rides the wave of popularity; many files that can be found on the Internet have just this format.

Those who like to download movies from torrents especially often encounter it. However, there are no less frequent problems opening mkv format.

So, what players can help us in this matter?

How to open MKV format - review of free programs

If you have at least once been interested in which player is best to install on your computer, then you have obviously heard about VLC media player. What makes it different is its incredibly simple interface, many useful functions and fairly frequent updates.

Just install this player and you no longer have to think about how to open mkv file.

What else is so good about VLC media player?

  • Compatible with most all operating systems: Windows, Mac OS X, Android, Apple iOS , Solaris etc.
  • Ability to play almost all existing media formats. There are so many of them that listing them would take too much time.
  • “Native” set of codecs. In other programs, sometimes you need to manually download the codecs necessary for viewing, and in VLC player they are built in.
  • Streams or online broadcasts. In addition to the fact that you yourself can broadcast videos on the Internet, you can also watch streams in this player.
  • Capture streaming video and its coding.
  • Interface in Russian.

GOM Player...

The player is the brainchild of Gretech Corporation and does an excellent job of working with many modern formats, including mkv.

One of the main advantages is completely Russified interface, as well as built-in codecs, which will save you from searching on websites and forums for the necessary add-ons.

In addition, using GOM Player Can:

  • Open corrupted files or those that were only partially downloaded.
  • Manage subtitles. Their size, font, color and position.
  • High-quality playback of files even on very weak computers.
  • Work with DVDs.
  • Configure the player for screen types: projector, monitor, TV.
  • Create bookmarks, playlists, mark favorites.

The KMPlayer...

Kang's all-in-one multimedia player that can open everything media files mkv. It is quite similar in functionality to GOM Player, as well as in appearance.

In addition, it also comes with built-in codecs and opens with ease. files with mkv format (mkv).

However, KMPlayer has other features:

  • The player works in portable mode.
  • Working with subtitles and setting them up using the built-in editor.
  • Plays partially damaged files.
  • Streaming audio and video.
  • Play video with external audio track.
  • Ability to increase playback speed.
  • Adjust image sharpness and blur.

Light Alloy...

A truly easy-to-use multimedia player that only works on an operating system such as Windows.

The main advantage Light Alloy is that it opens and works with absolutely all formats that exist today. At the same time, he has enough small size and launches incredibly quickly.

You can rewind videos, download and configure subtitles, adjust all sorts of image settings, and also take screenshots, which are then saved in special folder. If a film has several audio tracks, the player will easily allow you to switch to one of them at any time.

BS.Player...

This player was developed a long time ago by Webteh. Previously, it had a huge number of users, which are now much smaller due to newer programs with a lot of useful functions.

However, the program is periodically updated and still finds its fans, since it impeccably fulfills its main purpose - opens mkv files. And of course absolutely free.

Thus, you just need to install and launch one of the above players to open a file not only with mkv format, but also many others.

How to open mkv format - very popular question among users and therefore I decided to answer it in a separate article. Because mkv file is a video file, so you need to use players to see what is in this file. Some players refuse to open this file, so it is possible that the player you are using for a long time, can't open this file.

The note: If you use popular video players, you won’t have any difficulties with new video files. Before you start installing anything, it is better to read the article to the end. Most likely, you already have everything installed or need to make settings. Below there is a video from which you will learn how to convert MKV format.

This format can be viewed in different players, but you need to configure the codecs so that everything is played back. We will be looking at players to try each, because if you have an old computer, then this format may slow down on your computer, usually with delayed sound.

Note: if you already have any player installed and your computer is not old, then go below.

Players

I would like to note that I did not rate the players because I would not like to impose my opinion. Choose the one you like and install. I will do short review players so that you don’t think about the question - how to open mkv.

The first video player that we will consider in this article is KMPlayer, which was developed by guys from Korea. Most users think that better program no and there won't be. But as practice confirms, sometimes exceptions happen 😉 . I used this player, so feel free to install it if you like it.

Number two we have is GOM Player. I have used this player very little, so I can’t say anything about this player. You can install it on your computer and evaluate the player yourself.

An honorable third place in our list is occupied by Light Alloy, which means light alloy. This program feels great on a weak “office” computer. Sometimes when watching big size video file, the player may not feel well.

At the beginning of the article I said that you don’t need to install anything! Here's why: you can open mkv in standard player, which is available in Windows. This is exactly what I will talk about in the next chapter of this article.

To play a video on a computer or laptop, you don’t need a very sophisticated player. I have 3-4 players installed on my PC and laptop, but I usually use Media Player Classic, which is installed with codecs.

Codecs and built-in player

So, above I looked at several players so that you don’t have a question about how to watch mkv. If you have problems opening the mkv file in any player, then let's configure/install codecs. Now we will install K-Lite Codec Pack – codecs that have a simple player for reading different videos formats.

If you are not familiar with the concept of codecs and have no idea what function they perform in Windows, then read the article on the blog: “”. This information is required reading for users who have just begun to master the computer. Also in this article I told you how you can install codecs; if you do everything according to the instructions, then you will no longer have the question of how to open a mkv file on your computer.

First, download the codecs and install them. To do this, go to the developers website. Then go down a little and in the “Full” line, click “Download Full” on the right.

To download codecs, you can use different mirrors where these codecs are located.

For example, I'll select the first mirror. On the page that opens, click “Click Here To Download”.

After downloading, open installation file codecs. Click Next.

In the next window, leave everything as default and click “Next”.

In the next window you will be asked to select a profile for regular user You don’t need to change anything, just click “Next”.

By checking the box in the next window, data about codecs will not be added. There is no point in changing anything, so we click “Next”.

So, now we go down to the bottom of the page and uncheck the box so that the developers’ site does not open after installation.

In the next window you can specify additional information about the “Decoding Method”; if you are confused, then leave it as is, and in the future you can change these settings if you need it.

Note: if you have old computer, which slows down when playing video, then you should think about this setting. If the computer has normal characteristics, then this is not necessary. This is what the developers say!

At this stage, you select the player that will be associated with the video files.

Click “Install” and the installation of codecs will begin.

After installing the codecs, now you will not have problems opening of this file. By the way, you can also use VLC player. He's really very good player and if you have problems opening files, for example mov, then this program will cope with such files in no time. You may ask why you need to install another player, because there is no difference, since the codecs are the same! But no!

This player has built-in codecs! That is, even if your computer does not have codecs, you can view video files through it. We used this player to open video files when I worked in television. So be sure to install it and you will have a choice, if your codecs do not open some video file, then you can open it through VLC.

A small conclusion. You don't need to install many players! You just need to install the one you like best and that’s it. It's all about codecs. If codecs are not installed on your computer or laptop, then you will have problems opening video files. If your computer or laptop has weak characteristics, but you need to watch a video file with the mkv extension, then install several players and it is possible that the video will not freeze while watching.

Some users asked me how to open a mkv file, now I think it has become clear that the main thing is installed codecs on your system.

Enjoy watching!

If your player or TV does not read MKV files, then you can do the conversion:

Do you like watching movies? Until recently, in order to watch an interesting movie, you had to carefully follow the TV program or go to the cinema. Now everything is so simple that it’s enough to literally download a movie in high quality to your PC in a matter of minutes to enjoy watching it on your favorite sofa. There are many video file formats. Some are more popular, others are rarer. In this regard, there may be a problem with the correct reproduction of some of them. One such format is MKV. What are its advantages over others? What Windows players can you use to watch it? We present the answers to these questions in today's material.

One of best formats for watching movies – MKV

What is the MKV format

In times of slow Internet and low-power computers, there was little need for high-quality video playback. A high-resolution file takes up a lot of space and requires a significant amount of computer performance, which is sorely lacking for most home users. In addition, such a file was almost impossible to download over the Internet due to . In such situation AVI format could not meet user needs.

Over time, the speed of Internet access and the power of home computers have increased, resulting in a time when almost every device has several tens of gigabytes of memory. multi-core processor, and the connection speed is measured not in kilobits, but in tens of megabits per second. Accordingly, users have become more demanding in terms of content quality. The usual AVI was no longer enough, because the picture quality was no longer acceptable by modern standards, in addition, it was impossible to change audio tracks and add subtitles.

The developers set out to create universal format, which would allow transmitting high-resolution and bitrate video, as well as adding multiple audio tracks and subtitles. The newly created format received the MKV extension. Most films in HD quality today are distributed in it. At first, problems arose due to its low prevalence, which cannot be said now. You can watch it through almost any player for Windows. Let's get acquainted with the best and most proven ones.

Best Players to Play MKV

VLC Player

One of the most popular and most versatile media players for Windows, as well as almost any existing operating system, including mobile and server ones. The program is omnivorous, as it can open a file, disk, online stream and data from any external device. Once you install this program, you are unlikely to ever encounter the inability to reproduce something. It is also completely free and does not contain any spyware, advertising or viruses to track your activity. Those who like to change appearance programs will be appreciated a large number of shells, thanks to which the player can change its design beyond recognition.

VLC Player Features:

  • Hardware decoding that takes full advantage of the power and multitasking of the processor, as well as video cards to play movies with high resolution and bitrate.
  • Support for almost everyone existing formats media files and codecs.
  • Ability to open a video stream from external camera, satellite receiver or online television server.
  • Wide range of settings for playback and synchronization of subtitles, video and audio.

Download Player from the official website (www.videolan.org/vlc).

PotPlayer

Less popular than VLC Player, but nevertheless an equally advanced and completely free media player for computers running the Windows operating system. It has many built-in codecs, so you can watch the MKV extension and many others without installing an additional one software. Does not contain advertising modules or other malicious components.

Program features:

  • Very high quality playing all media files.
  • Supports almost all video and audio formats.
  • Support for all types of subtitles, reproduction of effects in them.
  • Availability of built-in codecs.
  • Ability to open a broken file.
  • Change the playback speed and the scale of the displayed video.
  • Theme support.
  • Window transparency during playback.

Download the player from the official website (potplayer.ru/download).

PotPlayer is a free player with a flexible settings system

GOM Player

An advanced, completely free video player for operating system Windows. Capable of opening a large number of files, including 360-degree videos virtual reality. Program features:

  • Ability to search for subtitles via the Internet.
  • Play virtual reality video and control it using a keyboard or mouse.
  • Repeat playback, screen capture, change playback speed, video effects.
  • Support for themes, the ability to customize the player to suit your own needs.
  • Remote control: open a file, search and control computer power.

Download the program from the official website (player.gomlab.com/download.gom?language=ru).

Very lightweight player with open source code. It will be very useful for owners weak computers running under Windows. Despite its simplicity, it supports almost all common video and audio formats, including MKV. It does not contain spyware modules, advertising or various toolbars and panels. Program features:

  • Very small program size, minimal use of computer resources.
  • Highly customizable, support third party modules and plugins.
  • Reproduces any file with high quality.
  • Support for built-in and external subtitles of the most common formats.
  • Built-in sound equalizer.

You can download the program from the official website (mpc-hc.org).

Media Player Classic is one of the most popular players among users

Light Alloy

Once very popular, but now a little forgotten MKV video player for Windows. Nevertheless, this is a very worthy competitor to the most popular programs this kind. It can open almost any format, and thanks to the presence of built-in codecs, you don’t have to worry about installing third-party packages that will once again load the system.

Features and features of the program:

  • Windowed mode displays a timeline divided into minutes and seconds, making it much easier to keep track of how much has already been viewed and how much is left to complete.
  • Video preview window when you hover the mouse over the timeline.
  • Play from network sources, including YouTube.
  • Internet radio, extensive catalog of radio stations.
  • Convenient selection of audio track and subtitles.
  • Automatic disc playback.

Conclusion

In fact, programs that can open a file with MKV extension, much more. We have selected only the best of them. If you use other software, write about it in the comments.

Hello! Many of us have encountered the problem: how to open a filemkv? And indeed: very large videos are stored in mkv format. Which is very inconvenient, especially if you are going to watch this video on your smartphone or tablet.

After all, mkv is almost not supported on these devices, its huge size can take up too much space, and you can hardly appreciate the benefits of mkv (in the form of HD video) due to small screens.

In general by and large MKV is a Russian development. The name of this format is Matroska. Initially, it was very popular among the anime community. This is understandable: you can add high-quality subtitles there, as well as several audio tracks. What else does an anime fan need?

So, method 1:

Unfortunately, MKV does not open in all video players. But this problem is quite easily solved. Just follow my advice.

First you need to download free player, which would support this format. Perfect for this purpose VLC Media player (VLC). It is available for both PC and Mac. Of course, there are many other players on the Internet, but this one is the best. I recommend that you download it. Below is a screenshot of the site where you can download this program.

Go to the website and click “Download VLC”. After downloading, install the program on your computer (the installation is extremely simple, so I think there is no point in describing detailed steps).

The VLC icon is a traffic cone. We click on it. Then everything is simple: click “Media” on the top panel, then go to the “Open File” window. We find required file and voila! You can watch the ill-fated MKV.

However, if the video is compressed in RealVideo format, then this procedure may not help. In this case, you need to download a special RealVideo player.

However, downloading “MKV player” is not the only way to open “MKV”. There are a few more. And I will tell you about them below.

Method 2: Download codecs!

In order to open “MKV” you can simply download the necessary codecs. Then this format can be watched directly in the built-in player.

The advantage of codecs is clear: along with “MKV” you will download other formats. That is, you will no longer have to worry about the fact that this or that video does not open. You can open any video on your computer!

But this method also has its drawbacks. Namely: You will download not only “MKV”, but also great amount other codecs that may clog your memory HDD. In short, installing codecs is a radical solution and is suitable for the lazy.

The official website of the “mkv” format states that the Combined Community installation is best suited for this format Codec Pack(CCCP). Or you can choose another codec that will also work: K-Lite Codec Pack. Wherein good decision will “demolish” old codecs manually in order to avoid all sorts of compatibility problems. Below is detailed video on how to download and install these same codecs. I recommend that you watch this video.

If you are working on Mac OS, then the least problematic option for you is to download the player. For example, the same “VLC”.

What to do if it still doesn’t open?

Of course, don't despair. There are several reasons why this could happen. It is quite possible that the problem is not in your computer, but in the file. Test it on other devices, or run the MKV diagnostics using special program matroskadiag.exe. It can be downloaded from the official MKV website.

The problem may be with the "MKV" compression. The fact is that the format of this video is sometimes compressed using “RealVideo”, which, to put it mildly, is not entirely reliable. To play it you will have to download a special “RealVideo player”. It is free and can be freely downloaded from the official website of the developers.

Now let's look at how to convert MKV?

The structure of “MKV” is very similar to the “AVI” format, which, as you know, is much more universal. Unlike "AVI", the code of "MKV" is open, and the format itself is free for distribution.

Meanwhile, as we wrote above, many have problems reproducing this format. Therefore, it sometimes makes sense to simply convert “MKV” to “AVI” and watch this or that video fragment without any difficulties. It is important to choose a converter that, on the one hand, converts the video quickly, and, on the other hand, does it quickly.

However, converting “MKV” to “AVI” is not so difficult. Today there are many converters: all you have to do is choose. For example, let's look at conversion using absolutely free utility, which I talked about in this article:

Concluding today's article, I hope that my tips will be helpful and you will finally be able to open MKV on your computer. Fortunately, as you have seen, there are a lot of opportunities for this. All that remains to be done right choice. In general, as they say – “Have a good viewing”!